Lewis Hamilton sets title target after leading Bahrain testing ahead of Formula One season opener

Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP in Bahrain (Picture: Getty)

Lewis Hamilton was fastest on the final day of testing in Bahrain, just two weeks before the Formula One season opener in Melbourne and the Mercedes driver believes he has a fighting chance for the 2014 title as Red Bull continue to struggle.

Hamilton won his only F1 crown in 2008 – becoming the first British driver to win the World Championship since Damon Hill in 1996 – but finished fourth last season 208 points behind four-time champion Sebastian Vettel.

Vettel though has struggled through testing, with Red Bull completing fewer miles than anyone other than Lotus.

And Hamilton believes, even with the ‘mind-blowing’ challenge of preparing for a campaign with the new regulations, a championship push is possible.

Hamilton speeds down the track during the final day of pre-season testing (AP Photo/Hasan Jamali)

He said: ‘There’s so much to learn with these new cars – I don’t think anybody can be ready for the challenge of this season.

‘The further we get into the year the better our understanding of the car, the power unit, the tyres and everything else will be.’

The 29-year-old, who will race with number 44 in the first season drivers have been allowed to pick their own unique number, added: ‘The goal is always to win the championship and this year I’m more pumped for it than ever.

‘I feel confident the team is pushing hard to get us to the top and we’ve great people working on every area of what we do, so we have a fighting chance.’

Hamilton has spent the past week tweeting pictures of his team in action as they prepare for the new season.